Outside Source
Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and Rizin Fighting Federation heavyweight grand prix king Muhammed Lawal doesn’t believe former Ultimate Fighting Championship 205-pound contender and current Bellator MMA light heavyweight ace Ryan Bader has the desire to compete in mixed martial arts anymore.
Lawal and Bader are scheduled to meet at Bellator 199 on May 12 inside the SAP Center in San Jose, California. The bout is part of the Bellator 2018 heavyweight grand prix, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals.
Bader (24-5) is currently a light heavyweight but that didn’t stop him from signing up to potentially face much bigger opponents.
Lawal (21-6, 1 NC) or as he’s better known as “King Mo,” believes Bader made a mistake by entering the grand prix to fight the bigger guys, especially since Lawal, unlike Bader, has had experience at heavyweight .
During a recent appearance on MMA Junkie Radio, Lawal said he doesn’t believe Bader has the same fire anymore:
“I don’t think Bader wants to fight anymore. I don’t think he has a dog in him. I’ve got the dog in me. I love training, and I love fighting. I don’t think he likes to. I think he’s just doing it because it’s what’s in, and I heard he’s making some money and he’s got a nice family.”
The rest of the Bellator 199 card features a number of former UFC fighters, including a welterweight clash between Paul Daley and Jon Fitch as well as a heavyweight bout between Cheick Kongo and Javy Ayala.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
